The present invention relates to a unit or apparatus for grading produce, such as fruits.
Prior art grading units have consisted of bucket conveyors in which fruits are placed, for example by means of automatic feed devices.
The buckets are connected to the conveyors in a manner such that they can be weighed freely when they pass through a first part of the unit and pivot at the moment of discharging the fruit contained in the bucket for grading thereof.
The weight of the fruit is obtained by automatically subtracting the weight of the bucket from the weight of the bucket and fruit as measured together. The information obtained makes it possible to control a means for discharging the fruit such that the fruits can be classified according to weight.
However, these devices present certain drawbacks, the most important of which lies in the fact that it is not possible to eliminate from the measurement the effects of friction created because the bucket is weighed while being moved. Moreover, the vibrations generated by this movement interfere with and thus reduce the accuracy of the weighing process.
The aim of the invention is therefore to solve these problems by providing a grading unit which is simple, reliable, of a moderate cost and accurate in measuring the weight of the produce such that grading thereof is more accurate.